Grapefruit Curd with Ginger
This vibrant grapefruit curd is perfect slathered on scones, waffles, and shortbread. A jolt of freshly pressed ginger juice makes it extra special.
I started thinking about this grapefruit curd while traveling in Marrakech, Morocco. I was admiring the diverse plants outside Peacock Pavilions when Maryam kindly brought us tea and a platter of incredible lemon bars. The lemon flavor of the curd was intense and bright, made from citrus picked on the property. The shortbread foundation was extra thick and structured. Think deep-dish lemon bar perfection. And there I found myself, standing in the North African sun, thinking about all the citrus that would waiting for me when I got home to California, and all the different curds I would make.
All The Different Citrus Curds!
And I did. I got right to it. I made minneola curd, blood orange curd, lemon curd with a kiss of clove, and this one, grapefruit curd with ginger. It's my favorite. You get an intense, assertive hit of grapefruit with enough ginger to notice. It begs to be slathered on everything.
What Pairs Well with Grapefruit Curd?
Grapefruit curd is wonderful on a long list of things. Scones, biscuits, toast, and English muffins to start with. Wayne puts it on pizzelles. I swirl it into Greek yogurt. And I like to make some before family comes to brunch because it is perfect with all of the following.
- The Best Waffles
- Fluffy Pancakes
- Scones (swap in some citrus zest or blueberries if blackberries aren’t around!)
- Shortbread
A Couple Details
You can sweeten this curd with granulated sugar or honey, and I include instructions for both down below. In general, I use a one-pan method to make curd, which (I hope) makes things easy for you - not fussy or technical.
Beyond Curd Inspiration
While I was in Morocco I shot with my Polaroid Land camera quite a lot. It takes pack film which is still readily available. Each shot develops over the course of a few minutes, and you peel it away from its backing. You can see my shots spread out on the table up above (land cam shots on the right). I love this camera, but in all honesty, it is not a system for the faint of heart. I carry an external light meter/timer, sizable packs of film, lens adapters/rangefinders, bags for the trash the film produces, and a small box to protect the damp prints from scratches and dirt. The film is also temperature sensitive. Beyond that, the list of issues goes on - but I love the little prints it makes, and the feel they have. Hopefully some of that magic is retained in a few of these scans - a handful of my favorites from this trip.
I look forward to returning someday - I'd also love to visit Fez, a city that has been on my travel wishlist for a long time. In the meantime, I'll keep cooking from my stack of Moroccan cookbooks so I have a deeper understanding when I do return - a shortlist of a few of my favorites for those of you who are interested (The Food of Morocco, Mourad: New Moroccan, Arabesque, and A Month in Marrakesh). Also! Paula Wolfert maintains a fantastic Facebook group focused on Moroccan cooking, it's an incredible resource that you might want to check out if you're interested in diving deeper.
Exploring the Medina in Marrakech.
More Citrus Recipes
- Sunny Citrus Recipes
- Super Orange Citrus Rice
- 15 Inspiring Winter Citrus Recipes
- Glazed Lemon Cake
- Citrus Salt
- Ginger-kissed Grapefruit Juice
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Grapefruit Curd with Ginger
I simmer my grapefruit juice here so it reduces and concentrates. I do this with any citrus curd I make. The flavor of the curd is better, the color deeper. That said, if you don't have time (or the inclination) to do this step, just start with 1/2 cup / 120 ml of freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained. Your curd with still be perfectly good. As far as sweeteners go, I use granulated sugar, or honey, or a blend of the two. I tend to mix it up depending on the citrus I'm using. This curd is great made with sugar or honey. If using honey, I use less because the flavor is so much more pronounced, and honey is sweeter. That said, I think I tend to go easy on the sweetener in general compared to other curd recipes - trying to strike a balance, avoiding cloying sweetness. Try it this way and feel free to adjust the sweetness in future batches to your liking. Method: I cream, then combine ingredients in a stainless steel mixing bowl here, you can use the bowl from your stand mixer if you like. Then, move that bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (as a makeshift double boiler), to keep the heat gentle. Go from there. It's easy, and keeps bowl-cleaning to a minimum.
- 1 cup / 240 ml freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature, soft
- 1/2 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g granulated sugar OR 1/4 cup / 60 ml honey
- 2 large egg yolks, preferably room temperature
- 2 large eggs, preferably room temperature
- 1/8 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice, strained
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger juice (made by pressing grated ginger through a strainer)
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Simmer the grapefruit juice in a small saucepan, reducing to 1/2 cup / 120 ml. Let it cool a bit.
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Cream the butter in a medium stainless steel bowl (note: you'll use this bowl as a makeshift double-boiler later). Add the sugar and beat until fluffy and light. Add the yolks, and then the eggs one at a time, beating well to incorporate after each addition. Stir in the salt, and then gradually add the grapefruit juice, lemon juice, and ginger juice - working the juice in as you go.
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Rinse out the small saucepan you used earlier, and fill 1/3 of the way full with water. Bring to a simmer, and place your stainless steel bowl of curd on top of it. Stir constantly, and heat the curd slowly enough that the sugar (if you used it) has time to dissolve. This step usually takes me about ten minutes. Pull the curd from the heat when it is just thick enough to coat your spoon - my thermometer usually reads ~166°F (it will continue to climb a bit off heat, keep that in mind). Your curd will thick substantially as it cools.
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There's no need to strain it, unless you somehow ended up with a few lumps (which you shouldn't). And it keeps refrigerated for a week, or up to a month in the freezer. I love it warm or cold.
Makes about 2 cups.
Related Recipes
15 Inspiring Winter Citrus Recipes
Put all that amazing winter citrus to work! A round-up of 15 winter citrus recipes, and a reminder of all the different ways we can enjoy citrus season while it lasts.
Glazed Lemon Cake
This lemon cake is moist, fragrant and topped with a salted lemon glaze. It is made with lots of lemon zest and freshly squeezed lemon juice. You don’t need a mixer, the olive oil based batter comes together quickly, and you’re not much longer than an hour from having a beautiful cake to share.
Ginger-kissed Grapefruit Juice
This grapefruit juice will jolt you to attention. It’s just the thing if you’re looking for something bright, invigorating, spicy, and full volume citrus. Steep grated ginger in a bit of sugared water, and then strain it into a lime & grapefruit juice blend. Inspired by a version in the Rose Bakery cookbook.
Citrus Salt
A spectrum of citrus salts made from all sorts of winter citrus zest - clementines, Makrut lime, Meyer lemon, kalamansi oranges, and mandarinquats. The process couldn't be simpler.
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Such stunning photography, Heidi. The colors are so rich and seductive. You've truly captured that majestic feeling of Morocco - I can just close my eyes and it all comes back. Thanks ; )
Beautiful bracelets, beautiful camera & beautiful curd. I take a very similar approach to curd making & will apply this to the delectable sounding ginger & grapefruit. But passion fruit & lime leaf curd is pretty hard to beat, in my humble opinion. Gorgeous post, Heidi. Thanks for pinteresting one of my recipes too. Lots of hits! HS: Oooh. Lime leaf curd sounds perfect Kellie.
Grapefruit curd! Love including ginger in my meyer lemon curd & am trying this version ASAP. Gorgeous photos, thanks for the visual feast on a gray day.
This is all so lovely! I am convinced I must make this curd and also get myself to the Peacock Pavillions, it has been on my list of places to go for a while now.
This looks so good...and beautiful photos! They brought me back to the week I spent in Morocco. I've never had such delicious mint tea in my entire life. Thanks for this. It made my day.
Heidi, lovely photos as usual! Glad you had such a wonderful trip. :)
Sigh...
Such incredible colors, amazing photos - so want to go to Morocco now; thanks for sharing this experience!
Wow, that's a very interesting curd flavor combination. It begs to be in the form of a tart. I'm on it.
This gives me wanderlust!
I am a bit of a curd junkie and have been thinking about making a grapefruit one. Ginger is such a nice touch. I have never reduced my concentrated my flavors by reducing the juice. Great idea.
Love that you are shooting with a polaroid, and cannot wait to try this recipe - I was staring at a few grapefruits this morning trying to think up a recipe - you saved me ; )
What a beautiful self portrait. Thanks for inspiring my morning with your land photog.
Hi Hiedi This is probably one of the most spectacular blog postings I've ever seen.-As a retired chef, I admire your continuing fervor and passion for creative culinary inspirations. Today is my birthday, I'm a curd junkie and I wanted to say thank you for the birthday gift of this amazing post-it feels very personal to me-you're a treasure for us in the Bay Area where there is an astounding amount of talent in the culinary field. What you do with your talent is unique-so: Thanks again and Happy Traveling to you!
thank you for sharing these beautiful and inspiring photos - the light! the glow! mesmerizing. and the grapefruit curd....that must happen in my kitchen soon :)
I have so many curd varieties I want to try...but this one? Top of the list!
I would say shooting with the Polaroid Land camera is worth all the effort- the images are so captivating. However, your words are just as strong, and I relished every moment reading this post. I'm fascinated by Morocco and the Middle East.
WOW! I just made this and it is amazing! I saw this on my Facebook feed this morning and was grateful to find a grapefruit recipe as I have a tree outside filled with ripe fruit. I love lemon curd and I'm going to say that this tops it hands down. Delicious!
I'm excited for more Moroccan inspiration. I'm interested in knowing more of their healthy staples. I'll do a little research and anticipate your future posts! This looks like a very manageable recipe. Beautiful photos as well.
As usual, your photos are beautiful! I love love love all the beautiful jewelry!